Midnights in hell
by jon3776
Summary: A serial killer is on the loose the summer after OOTP. A serial killer who likes to murder pretty young female witches. A serial killer only Harry can catch. Dark, gritty, Sin City style film noir. Warning: Violence and character deaths.
1. Chapter 1

Midnights in Hell

By phoenixgod2000

Authors notes: My feeble attempt at Sin City style noir. I'm experimenting with a new, sparser writing style. Tell me what you think please. I'm always trying to improve.

This story is unbeta'd. Each chapter is pretty short because I find noir works best in short punchy chapters. Updates will be fairly regular because each chapter is faster to write. The idea for this story came from the pottersplace3 Harry/Luna challenge.

Warning: This story is dark and graphic. Probably the darkest story I will ever write. There will be character deaths.

* * *

_July 21 1996_

The woman was hot as hell. Not the good kind of hot either.

The inside of the London club was a sweltering mixture of alcohol, sweat, and sex that left the young witch wishing she could use a cooling charm on herself, but magic in front of the muggles was a no-no. She was sitting in the back of her club on her day off looking for…something. Something she wasn't finding.

And then he walked in and the good kinda hot got a new definition.

His abs rippled beneath his net shirt and his eyes flashed with a sexy smolder the color of death itself. His dark hair and pale skin made him a gothic god.

Those eyes of his focused on her and she felt the danger in the gaze. The sort of danger that left the woman panting to get into his pants. He walked up to her and held out his hand.

She felt herself rising in her seat and taking his hand in answer to his wordless request. He led her silently onto the dance floor, and the two of them danced together in a slow mating ritual, the people around them giving the pair room to writhe in slow motion. Their eyes never left each other as they took silent measure of the other's body.

After dancing for a dog's age, the gothic god took the witch off the dance floor. He still hadn't spoken a word and neither had she. They didn't speak, and they didn't need to. He knew what she wanted and she knew what he was offering.

The outside air was cool and her skin pimpled with contact. She snuggled into his strong embrace for warmth and he gladly accepted her flesh against his skin.

"I've always had a crush on you."

The first words he spoke shook the girl. Always? But they had never met before tonight, had they? How could he know her? Her training acted up and she moved, pushing him away.

That's when he acted.

The gothic god pushed her into the alley with inhuman strength and pressed the struggling young woman against the wall. His lips met hers and he tasted her.

Cinnamon.

She tasted like cinnamon.

With one hand he held her against the wall, using his greater mass to prevent her escape. The other stroked the soft lines of her face.

She was so beautiful in her fear, he thought. Her eyes glowed with wisdom. They shimmered with perfect understanding. It was no wonder he loved her. He could feel the other in his head, watching. Good. He deserved to suffer. His hot breath caused her to shiver while he whispered.

"You have beautiful eyes."

A moment later Nymphadora Tonks died.

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Told you it would be dark.

Read and review.


	2. Chapter 2

Midnights in Hell 2

By phoenixgod2000

Authors notes: Who to kill, who to kill, around and around I go, who to kill?

Each chapter is deliberately short because I think noir works best that way. each chapter is basically going to be one scene. hopefully, I'll be able to get out one or two a day.

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It had started raining; Auror Captain Kingsly Shacklebolt noted with the part of his mind that wasn't surveying the crime scene. It was raining slowly, a soft drizzle that wasn't uncomfortable but it left the whole world gray.

It was appropriate.

His protégé was dead.

Tonks lay in a heap at the opening of the alley. Discovered in the wee hours of the morning by muggles, it hadn't taken much effort for the aurors to obliviate those in the know and take over the investigation.

He studied her form, still as a muggle painting, and wished, not for the first time he had never taken a vow to avoid Unforgivables.

He wanted to the person who had done this to scream. Not just for Tonks, but for all the other girls as well.

She still wore the clothes she had gone clubbing in and there wasn't any sign of a killing blow. A sure indication that the killing curse was the culprit.

Shame the killer didn't stop there. At least that would have been clean.

Her face was a mask of blood. It leaked from the corner of her eye sockets like the bloody tears of suffering saint. Around her edges of her face were teeth marks, the dull, broad scrapes of human teeth put to a use they were never meant for.

He had eaten the eyes right out of her face.

Kingsly turned away, suddenly no longer able to bare the sight of his fallen student. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his robe and walked over to one of the other aurors.

"Do you have anything?" He asked gruffly, not really expecting an answer.

The other auror, another young one he noted grumpily nodded grimly. "Yes sir, but you aren't going to like it."

"Boy, ain't nothing I'm going to like today." Kingsly retorted.

"Sir…we analyzed the leftover magic. He used more this time and we were able to get good clean print without any background aura messing it up." The young aura fell back into silence. "We know whose aura it is, but it doesn't make any sense sir. Why would…"

"Spit it out."

"It's…Harry Potter sir. The person who killed Tonks is Harry Potter."

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	3. Chapter 3

Midnights in Hell 3

By phoenixgod2000

Authors note: there I was all set to ignore this story while trying to finish the next chapter of something when I had to go and read thesteffis story where he compliments Midnights in Hell. So I went back over it to read it and decided what the hell, the chapters are kinda short, why not work on it again.

* * *

I would've thought the interrogation chambers of the Ministry of Magic would be gray. Or maybe black. Possibly puce.

In a million years I would never have guessed white.

White walls. White ceiling and white floors. Even the table in front of me and the chair beneath my bum was white metal. White, white, white. It made Kingsly stand out like the mole on Cho Chang's ass.

Don't ask me how I know that.

He paced in front of me so fast I got a little dizzy from looking at him. I decided to focus on a spot in the corner of the room to prevent nausea. He looked a little like a big black lion and the looks he was shooting at me made me think he wanted to swallow my head.

What the hell was I doing here?

I do my good doggie bit and stay with the Dursley's all summer except for a few visits by some order members who kindly decided letting me stew in my juices wasn't the kindest thing they could do to me and this was the thanks I get? Hauled into the Ministry interrogation room by someone I thought was a friend.

My life is the definition of craptastic.

"Eleanor Mitchell. Padma and Parvati Patil. Nymphadora Tonks. Do you know what they all have in common?" Kingsly growled out. His dark hands gripped his wand so hard I thought it would snap. He looked scared of me. Apparently skinny kids in size 50 pants intimidated aurors.

Good to know.

"I have no idea who that first name is." I muttered wearily, "but I know the rest of them. Tonks has been visiting me over the summer. Parvati was in my house at Hogwarts and she was my date to the Yule ball in my fourth year. You know that."

"They're dead." Kingsly spat. "They're all dead and they were mutilated."

My stomach dropped into my shoes. Dead? I remembered Padma and Parvati the night of the Yule ball. I remembered the shabby way me and Ron treated them, and I remembered that I always meant to apologize to them. Now I would never get the chance.

Tonks…

She would come over when I would do outside chores and teach me things. Talk to me about Auror training and what you had to do. Showed me a few moves. She was cool. She was older.

I had a little crush on her.

Now she was dead too.

My dead friends and family list was way too long for a sixteen year old.

"Why did you bring me down here?"

That's good. Focus on something else. Keep your mind off the death.

"BECAUSE YOU DID IT POTTER!"

Huh?

"Whatever you think I did you're wrong." I shot back angrily. "I've been a good little monkey for Dumbledore all summer. I haven't even left my yard. You have guards on me, you know I haven't left."

"What I know Potter is that you magical signature was all over Tonks' cold body and you can't fake that." Kingsly growled.

I leaned back in my chair to hide the fact my mind was spinning worse than my head after a three shots of fire whiskey and a flight on my firebolt.

I don't recommend trying that.

"I swear, I didn't do this." I said quietly. "I…liked…Tonks. She visited me when no one else would. Talked to me. She was my friend when everyone else in the order just wanted to push me around."

"And now she's dead. With your signature all over the crime scene."

"I'm not going to know how that got there no matter how many times you say that to me." I shot back. I was getting angry now. I had spent all last year with Voldemort in my head and Dumbledore ignoring me. My godfather had just died and Dudley was back on his diet so I was getting that much to eat anymore and now they were throwing this crap on me?

I'm seriously starting to think the Wizarding world needs to go.

"Stand up. We're going to take you down to holding till you decide to say something worth hearing."

So I stand up and I'm a good boy up until I get to the holding cell. Kingsly and Dawlish were standing behind me and prodding me with their wands when I decide to become a bad boy.

I grab Dawlish's wand—him being the worst auror of the two—and I spin around shouting 'stupefy' and down Kingsly goes. I'm a little embarrassed for him. Dawlish goes down a minute later after I knee him in the crotch, take his wand and shove it straight up his nose before stunning him.

And then I'm alone in the hallway. One skinny teen in size fifty pants and two downed aurors.

Now how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?

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